Rolf Erik is dead, but he would like to get in touch with you

Many believe it is possible to communicate with the dead. The Norwegian TV-program "Folkeopplysningen" ("The Public Enlightenment") wants to test whether it is possible, with the help of Rolf Erik Eikemo, who died last year.

Rolf Erik Eikemo wrote a message on a sheet of paper shortly before he died. The message was sealed in an envelope and locked in a safe. No person alive knows its content. Is it written in Norwegian or English? The only one who knew was Rolf Erik, and he is no longer with us.

Before Rolf Erik died in May 2015, he promised us that if someone managed to get in touch with him in the afterlife, he would reveal what he wrote.

Can you make contact with him? Do you know someone who may be able to do so?

Fill out the form further down in the article if you think you know what Rolf Erik wrote before he died.

IMPORTANT: It is possible to answer only once. The deadline is september 25th.

This is an experiment conducted by the TV-program "Folkeopplysningen". Will anyone make contact? The answer will be revealed in the ultimate episode of this years season, broadcast on Wednesday October 5th.

You can read more about the reasoning behind, and ethical aspects of, the experiment below the form.

"We will talk later. Maybe."

That is how Rolf Erik concludes his video. It was recorded only a few weeks before he died of cancer. We can see, and hear, his frailty. The video makes a strong impression when we know what later happened.

Rolf Erik was only 40 years old when he died, and was survived by his wife and two children.

We understand that there may be some negative reactions to this experiment, which is why we want to elaborate on why we are doing this, and what considerations were taken.

– Many claim they can talk with the dead

The experiment is part of the TV-program "Folkeopplysningen" which premieres its third season August 24. The program broadcast on NRK, and produced by Teddy TV.

There are many who claim they can talk with the dead, quite a number who are doing it commercially, and a few whose alleged abilities have made rather wealthy. We thought it would be interesting to test if those who claim they have these abilities in fact do, and Rolf Erik gave us the opportunity, says Lasse Nederhoed from Teddy TV.

Rolf Erik was enthusiastic about the project from the start. It was his decision alone to participate, and the family supported him. We’ve had a close and good dialogue with his wife after his passing. She has seen and approved the finished program.

(With an exception of the moment of the opening of the envelope when Rolf Eriks message is compared to the suggestions from the audience. That happens shortly before the program airs. Editor's note.)

An important experiment

Why did Rolf Erik want to be a part of this?

He provided us with two reasons. Even if he did not have a great belief in a life after death, he was open to the possibility that he could be wrong, and if that was the case, he wanted to convey that we can expect more after this life has ended. And if it doesn't work out that way, he still thought the experiment was important because of the big industry that charges people a high price to contact their dead loved ones.

Are you trying to disprove life after death?

If no one reaches Rolf Erik, that’s not an evidence of anything in itself, but it gives those who claim to have these abilities a hard case to argue. If it is possible to talk with the dead, and according to many it is even "easy", then why couldn’t anyone make contact with such an eager conversation partner as Rolf Erik, when so many had the opportunity to try?

If only a single participant has real abilities and makes contact with Rolf Erik, it will be a sensation. In that case, we have made one of the most important TV-programs throughout history, says Nederhoed.

You can see if anyone succeeds at the end of the last episode of "Folkeopplysningen”, Wednesday October 5th.

"Superstitious Norwegians"

> Every third Norwegian believes in life after death, according to an InFact survey conducted for the newspaper Dagen.

> 41 percent of the Norwegian population believe in life after death, according to the Great Religion Survey from 2008.

> According to a rapport made by KIFO (Institute for Church, Religion, and Worldview Research) in 2008, almost one in five believe it is possible to have contact with the dead. (Published in VGs paper edition 9.15.2010 – from the book: "Religion in Norway today".)

'Folkeopplysningen' To the left is psychologist Jan-Ole Hesselberg. To the right, physicist Andreas Wahl.

This is "Folkeopplysningen"

> Every day we are bombarded with information and claims about what is good for us, what we should be careful about, and what choices we should make to live healthy, good and safe lives.

> "Folkeopplysningen" is a TV-program that investigates such claims. We pick up subjects where there is a discrepancy between what people think they know, what commercial providers claim, and what science is telling us. While we in the two first seasons scrutinized different kinds of alternative treatments and health related issues, we have been given free hands this year to look at any possible subject.